Frequently Asked Questions

Hope Baptist Church is a Baptist church by conviction and principle. This means that we believe the basic Bible teachings for which Baptists have historically stood. For an in depth explanation of our beliefs, please see our statement of faith on the "We Believe" page. 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN INDEPENDENT  BAPTIST CHURCH?

As an Independent Baptist church, we are not affiliated with any particular Baptist denomination or ruling body. Because of this we can support our own missionaries, select our own leaders, and support institutions that believe as we believe. In short, our church answers to the headship of Jesus Christ rather than a denominational body. There are currently more than 10,000 independent Baptist churches in America and thousands more throughout the world.

We believe based upon the scriptures that God's will for His children is that they know Him and that they make Him known to others. We are called to make Christ known by proclaiming the message of the hope of the gospel, and living a life that is pleasing to the Lord. We also believe that God has a specific place for each of His children to fulfill His will for their lives. After much prayer we firmly believe that it is the will of God for us to plant Hope Baptist Church in Hoover. We believe the will of God settles everything else and that is the foremost reason why we are planting Hope Baptist Church in Hoover. 

We also believe that based upon the scriptures, it is the responsibility of the local church to be actively seeking to reach its community and the world with the gospel. After living in the area for a total of four years, it became evident that in the midst of a growing city, there was a need for more gospel evangelism in Hoover. My personal experience in the time I have lived in the Metro area is that only once, has anyone attempted to share the gospel with me outside of a church setting. 

We are an Independent Baptist Church by conviction. To our knowledge there are no other Independent Baptist Churches in Hoover.  For more information on what is an Independent Bapist Church, please see the tab "What is an Independent Baptist Church." 

Lastly, Christianity in America has too often become cultural and unfortunately in many cases the Church has ceased to be what God intends it to be. We pray that Hope Baptist Church will be a church in Hoover that is everything God intended the church to be. We are not competing with any other church or denomination. We are just seeking to fulfill the call God has placed on our lives to  share the Hope of Christ with all whom we can,  and to embrace our community with the love of Christ. 

We have determined three simple and biblical principles that explain church membership at Hope Baptist Church.  You may become a member of Hope Baptist Church in one of these three ways.

Baptism after Salvation:

After you have accepted Christ as your personal Saviour, you may follow God’s simple command of being baptized.  Baptism is not necessary for salvation; it is simply a public testimony of your faith.  As you follow Christ in baptism you will be added as a member of Hope Baptist Church.  Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41

Statement of Faith or Transfer of Letter:

If  you have already accepted Christ and have been baptized in a Baptist church whose doctrine is in agreement with Hope Baptist Church, you may present your testimony of salvation and be voted into membership by your statement of faith or transfer of membership from another Baptist Church.   Acts 5:12-13, Acts 9:26

Statement of Faith by Baptism:

If you have accepted Christ and have not been baptized in a Baptist church of like faith, you will be asked to publicly identify with Christ and Hope Baptist Church by being baptized into our membership.  This is also true if your mode of baptism was other than immersion, or if the doctrine was different in your previous church.  Hope Baptist Church is committed to maintaining a doctrinal unity in this day of confusion and doctrinal compromise.  If you believe that God led you to this church, and if you understand that baptism is simply a testimony of your faith, we invite you to identify with Christ and Hope Baptist Church by being baptized as the Lord leads you. Matthew 3:16, John 3:28, Acts 8:38, Acts 19:1-5